In Did You Know? the National Geographic magazine team shares extra information we gathered to expand your knowledge of our featured subjects.

Whether the word "hurricane" originally came from the Maya, Taíno, or Carib culture is debated. However, it was the Taíno from the Greater Antilles who first told the Spanish of the evil deity, Hurakán, which manifested itself in a storm of strong winds and rain. Many other words in our lexicon derive from the Taíno language, including canoe (canoa), hammock (hamaca), and barbecue (barbicu or barbacoa).